7 things to know about the shooting death of a Ross High School student

An 18-year-old Ross High School student died Tuesday night, allegedly after being lured to a Hine Road house on a ruse of trading guns but instead suffering a fatal gunshot wound in a robbery attempt, according to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.

Here are important things to know about the incident and its aftermath.

1. The victim. Austin Hensley, 18, of Layhigh Road, died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Butler County Coroner’s Office. Hensley’s death has been ruled as a homicide, and the autopsy has been completed, according to a release from the office.

2. The suspects. Two suspects, both 17-year-old Ross students, are in the Butler County Juvenile Detention Center. One boy, age 17, is charged with murder, aggravated robbery and tampering with evidence, according to Butler County Juvenile Court Administrator Rob Clevenger.

The second suspect, also a 17-year-old, faces a charge of grand theft of a firearm. Court documents indicate this second suspect removed his father’s .38-caliber handgun from his father’s bedroom and passed it to another subject, who is not named in the documents.

3. The circumstances. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones held a news conference to address Tuesday’s shooting and the accused suspects.

“(The shooting suspect) lured (the victim) to the house, they were gonna trade guns, supposedly,” Jones said. “In the process, the (shooting suspect) had all intentions of robbing (the victim) that he lured into the house through social media.

“It appears a scuffle took place and then an attempted robbery, and the victim was shot and killed.”

4. Attempt to hide weapon. Court documents from Butler County Juvenile Court say that the 17-year-old accused of fatally shooting Hensley washed and hid the weapon after the Tuesday incident.

5. Statement from the school. Brian Martin, Ross High School principal, released this statement related to the Tuesday night shooting death: “Our hearts are broken over the events that have transpired over the past 24 hours involving three of our students. We loved Austin, and our prayers go out to his friends and family.

6. Criminal background of shooting suspect. The shooting suspect has a criminal history dating back to 2016, according to juvenile court records. That included charges that he said he had a bomb in his locker in March.

7. What’s next? The shooting suspect made a court appearance Wednesday morning and was remanded to the Butler County Juvenile Detention Center. He will appear for a pre-trial hearing on Feb. 12 in front of Judge Kathleen Romans in Butler County Juvenile Court. The teen charged with theft is also scheduled to appear for a pre-trial hearing on Feb. 12 in front of Judge Ronald Craft.